Once again, Inari looked around the dungeon. The place resembled a factory, filled with mysterious boxes being produced and flowing along conveyor belts. The alarms for intruders sounded unpredictably, and toy-like monsters appeared from time to time. As for the scale of it… the place was immense, with conveyor belts crisscrossing throughout.
Now then, given all this, what ought she to focus on? The boxes? Could it be that the hint to clearing this dungeon was hidden within one of those boxes?
“Searching through all these boxes for the key to clearing the dungeon? Such an unreasonable thing — 'tis far too reliant on luck. Unless one were blessed with extraordinary fortune, one could spend an eternity here and never succeed.”
Of course, given that "Luck" was an actual stat, the idea couldn’t be dismissed outright. Perhaps the difference between those who cleared this dungeon and those who failed lay precisely in that Luck stat.
After all, even regarding the "security" she had faced earlier, it had not been identical each time. Could it be that even the monsters and events that appeared were governed by luck?
"My 'Luck'... was 'F', if memory serveth. 'Tis not particularly good."
If that were the case, then this dungeon was ill-suited for her. But simply turning tail and retreating was not Inari’s style.
Thus, there were not many choices left to her.
『Intruder alert, intruder alert. All security personnel, to your stations.』
"Ngh, again? Now then, what shall appear this time…?"
What appeared this time was... a swarm of flying picture books. Yes, ordinary-sized, floating picture books.
The books spun through the air as they attacked Inari—only to be effortlessly sliced apart with a single swing of her sword.
The others were no different. Their durability was seemingly no better than that of ordinary books, making them astonishingly weak.
Instead of magic stones, heaps of picture books thudded to the ground.
After the two fierce battles earlier, this felt almost anticlimactic.
"Mmm... Could it truly be that my theory about luck governeth this dungeon is correct...?"
Muttering, Inari felt more certain than ever that she had grasped the Saitama Dungeon No. 3’s secret. Indeed, if one assumed luck was the deciding factor, everything fit.
The timing of the alarms.
The monsters that appeared.
The endless stream of mysterious boxes.
If luck favored you, clearing the dungeon was easy. If luck turned against you, you would be crushed by overwhelming "security."
Thus, the Saitama Dungeon No. 3 must be such a place.
If that were so—
Thinking carefully, Inari approached a conveyor belt and lifted one of the boxes down to the floor.
She tore away the colorful wrapping and opened the lid. The inside was a teddy bear plush.
A miniature version of the teddy bear monsters from before, but this one was clearly just a harmless stuffed animal.
She tossed it into her Divine Concealment hole and moved on to the next box.
Inside was a green gemstone the size of a fist — an emerald, beautifully cut.
The next box contained a rubber ball. The next held a princess doll. The next, a hero mask.
And the next—a bomb, with its fuse already lit.
"Ohoh!"
Inari immediately hurled it away, and with a booming crash, it exploded harmlessly away from her.
Truly, there was no room for carelessness here.
The next box—
Out leapt a translucent monster — a Ghost. A troublesome foe immune to physical attacks, vulnerable only to magic or special weapons.
"What manner of spirit is this?"
"Gyaaah!"
Yet, with a single shot of foxfire, Inari reduced it to ashes.
Against an ordinary Awakener, it might have been a serious threat. But against Inari, it was simply no match.
She continued opening boxes, finding bizarre toys, the occasional gem, and stuffed animals. She tossed them one after another into her Divine Concealment hole.
Yet gradually, unease crept into her heart.
Was her theory wrong?
“Even with my poor luck, could it truly be possible that naught should come forth after so much effort...? Could my entire assumption be mistaken? And if so, then mayhap I have merely wasted precious time that ought to have been spent properly exploring…”
If that were true, it would be quite a regrettable waste.
Holding a gaudy, flashing toy sword meant for children, Inari sighed. It wasn’t a serious problem—she could still resume exploration. But the troubling thought was that perhaps her theory was correct...
...and her bad luck alone was the culprit.
If so, then this dungeon would be insurmountable for her.
"Mmm... What is the right path here…"
Muttering so, Inari opened yet another box—
But this time, the box would not open. As though it had been glued shut, it resisted until suddenly—
The lid popped open with a violent blast, sending Inari flying backward.
At the same time, something tumbled out.
"Ngh...! Hm? Hmm? Dice...?"
Yes, two dice had rolled out of the box.
They came to a stop right before her.
Both showed sixes.
『Six, six! Thirty-six! Thirty-six times!』
"Th-Thirty-six times? Of what, pray tell?"
From inside the box, countless building blocks erupted. They assembled into a humanoid figure and began expanding rapidly in size.
『Thirty-six-times-sized Block Golem, deployment complete. Eliminating intruder.』